Selena Gomez was thrust into the spotlight at just 7 years old. The multi-hyphenate has evolved with her career, from her notable early role on tween Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place to starring in feature films and launching multiple award-winning music albums. Her most recent endeavours in beauty may come as a surprise to some. But for Selena, venturing into beauty was always in the cards. “I wanted to create Rare Beauty to challenge the beauty space”, she says.

Society’s skewed ideals of perfection force people to hold themselves to an impossible standard of beauty, which Selena hopes to change. “I hear all day, every day that I’m not sexy enough or cool enough, so I wanted to create a brand to encourage each and every person to be who they are and help eliminate all of that unwanted pressure to look a certain way,” she explains. This beauty entrepreneur knew she wanted to do more than just make great products – she wanted a brand with purpose: one that would break down toxic beauty standards and form an authentic community while ensuring actionable change. To achieve this change, 1% of all Rare Beauty sales are donated to non-profit Rare Impact Fund.

Founded by Selena, The Rare Impact Fund is committed to increasing access to mental health services. Part of the project includes launching initiatives and running campaigns such as the The Mental Health 101 Campaign, which raises awareness on the importance of mental health education in schools. “Imagine if you were taught about mental health from a young age the same way you were taught any other subject in school. I know if I had learned about my mental health earlier, things could have been different for me”, Selena says.

Rare Beauty stands for the noble goal of dismantling society’s toxic beauty standards. This mission goes hand in hand with its product range, a dynamic and versatile assortment of cosmetics which have been crafted with care and intention. Designs are sleek and ergonomic, created to be accessible and easy to use for everybody – Gomez herself was diagnosed with Lupus and has talked about how she struggles with strength in her hands. The minimal packaging houses weightless products with blendable, serum-like textures that glide seamlessly on the skin. The Soft Pinch Liquid blush is a pigmented product that comes in both matte and dewy formulas, creating the perfect flush of colour that can be built up on the cheeks as desired, or even worn on the lips as a stain.